Deepak Punia at Olympics 2021: Wrestling draw analysis, schedule, opponents and possible pathway
Deepak Punia will represent India in the men's 86kg freestyle wrestling at Olympics 2021.
The schedule for the men's 86kg freestyle wrestling is as follows:
August 4: 1/8 finals till semifinals
August 5: Repechage and medal matches
United World Wrestling (UWW) has released the draw for the men's 86kg freestyle wrestling. Deepak Punia will face Nigeria's Ekerekeme Agiomor in Round 1. Agiomor, a three-time medallist at the African Wrestling Championships, is Nigeria's only male wrestler at the Tokyo Games. He secured a berth for the Summer Games after recording three wins in the Africa/Oceania qualifiers in April.
Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule
If Deepak Punia manages to beat Agiomor, he is likely to meet either Zushen Lin of China or Pool Ambrocio of Peru in his quarterfinal match. Zushen Lin has been competing at the international level regularly but is yet to win an international title or medal. Peru's Pool Ambrocio has won a silver and bronze at the Pan American Championships. He has also won two silver medals at the South American Games.
A win against Agiomor will put Deepak Punia in the semifinal match.
San Marino's Myles Amine, Colombia's Carlos Izquierdo, USA's David Taylor and Belarus' Ali Shabanau are also in Deepak Punia's half of the draw. Myles Amine will take on Carlos Izquierdo in round 1 while David Taylor will face Ali Shabanau for their opening match. David Taylor is expected to come out as the winner from this set of wrestlers and will probably meet Deepak Punia in the semifinal match.
Deepak Punia is a 2019 World Championships silver medalist. He has won two bronze and one silver medal at the Asian Championships. The Indian wrestler also claimed gold at the World Cadet Championships in 2016.
Also read: How Hungary came to Vinesh Phogat's rescue for Olympics 2021